apricot saplings

decided to grow my own apricots, from seed.  and it involves a little more than just planting a pit into some soil.  

first, you need to oh-so-gently break open the outside hard shell, to retrieve the actual apricot seed inside.  i used vice grips.  the inside seed looks like an almond.

then, i soaked the seed in water for a couple of days, changing the water daily.

i placed the seeds into a little zip-loc paper bag, between some damp paper towels, and put them into the fridge for about 3 months.  the cold and dark speeds up the germination process, and mimics the cold of winter in nature.  

after a couple of months, the seeds should have sprouted and cracked open.  i made some small planters from recycled newspaper, and put the seeds in their with some potting soil.  in all, i have around 8 seedlings, about a foot tall, sitting inside on my shelf. when it gets warmers, i’ll transfer them outside into larger pots, and let them go.  it’ll still be a couple of years before i can get any fruit, but i’m patient.

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milk crate garden

Found some bright blue milk crates.  And received some free California Bay trees from LA city’s “Million Trees LA” initiative.  So I planted them in the crates, with burlap as a liner to liven up my street and apartment complex.

My complex doesn’t have a yard.  So last season, i planted some tomatoes in some crates in the back patio.  And now, it’s harvest time!

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visitors

Esther Jane came to visit the farm today!  She snorts.

Erik delivered bread on his bike.  A favorite.

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Dirty Gold - California Sunrise

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Arugula Microgreens.  Kristen’s Broom Ball Party.

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Really inspiring and beautiful video from Monocle re: urban farming.  The video follows Prinzessinnengarten (Princess Garden) in the middle of Berlin, which took an empty lot and made it into a garden, complete with beehives and a cafe.  The only difference from other urban gardens is that this one is mobile.  Nothing is planted into the ground; rather everything is farmed in crates and above-ground planters.  The idea: at anytime that the landlord want to sell the land, they are able to.  It’s a symbiotic relationship between the gardeners and the landlords, increasing property and neighborhood values by [temporarily] transforming a vacant lot with greenery.

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It got me thinking about implementing the practice of mobile gardens here in Silver Lake and Echo Park, on sites we pass everyday, and forget about.  Such as:

Sunset & Alvarado

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Wide Traffic Islands on Glendale Blvd., North of Sunset

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Glendale Blvd. & the 2 Freeway

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Bellevue & Occidental

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Sunset & Micheltorena

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Sunset & Hyperion

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Sunset & Sanborn

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Sunset next to El Cid

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